Community Forums

kbhine · 05-03-2015, 04:51 PM

We just had the pivot bolt in our Coach Steps completely break in half. This should still be under warranty. I noticed there were a few complaint in the Fleetwood boards about this issue. Have any of you Tiffin owners had this problem.

cc8375 · 05-03-2015, 06:55 PM

Do you know the Brand of Step? Mine is Lippert Components.

jhbright · 05-03-2015, 11:59 PM

Yes mine broke and I fell off on to the floor. It was a Kiwie.
Tiffin replace the steps at no charge. The dealer said they had replaced a 100's of them.
One problem was it took 4 weeks to ship new parts, and I damage my knee.
This was on a 2014 Allegro Bus AP

kbhine · 05-04-2015, 07:33 AM

Mine has the Lippery Components as well. Very confusing a Kiwikee brochure came with the rv when we had it built, Lippert Components brochure, and a Coach Step sticker on the step.

kbhine · 05-04-2015, 07:35 AM

Jhbright. Did Tiffin send you the steps, or did you have to go there for a replacement.

luvlabs · 05-04-2015, 08:04 AM

Lippert owns the Kwikee Step brand so hopefully that ends some of the confusion. Did the pivot bolt break because you didn't wait for the step to come to a complete stop before you stepped on it?

Any dealer (or yourself, if so inclined) can replace the steps. Tiffin, and most other manufacturers, use the same step mechanism so it is not a brand issue.

kbhine · 05-04-2015, 11:13 AM

No. The step was all the way out. It was such a clean break that we didn't realize for some time, that there was a bolt broken off inside and couldnt be drilled out.

lanerd · 05-04-2015, 12:00 PM

Tiffin uses the cheap Lippert steps....never have understood this.

The answer to not having the bolts break is to put some sort of support under the lowest step. This takes the strain off of the hinges when you step on the first step and makes for a very solid step. Just gotta remember to remove it before retracting the steps...

Ron

kbhine · 05-04-2015, 02:58 PM

Lanerd, this is exactly what my husband said. I did see some supports in one of my rv magazines.

jepeed · 05-04-2015, 07:04 PM

My 2014 45LP Bus step broke the same way. Looks like when they welded the bolt in place it made the bolt brittle, i think it affected the heat treating of the bolt. Tiffin sent me new steps and the new one did not have the pivot bolt

KenandBarbie · 05-04-2015, 07:41 PM

I had our Coach Step bolt shear when opening the door in a business entrance driveway 3 weeks ago. No weight on the step. Just a bang and the sheared bolt on the ground. 2014 Allegro Bus 37AP. Three weeks before 12 months old. Tiffin sent replacement Kwikie Steps and I had a mobile tech fit the new steps in place. Bolt holes didn't quite line up. But most important lesson was the door jamb step activation switch is configured differently between Coach Step and Kwikie. Back to front. So without the accompanying switch the Kwikie step comes out when the door is closed and vice versa. Now that we have the right switch for the steps the Kwikie steps work great but the entry courtesy lights work back to front and the remote control key fob for the door lock also works back to front. Press unlock to lock the door and vice versa. The mechanisms on the two steps are quite different. I understand from the helpful guy at Tiffin who arranged this for me and the mobile tech that the Coach Step bolt issue is well known now. I subsequently saw a 2015 37AP with Kwikie step installed from new and a different door jamb switch arrangement. I am carrying my secondary issues until I can get to a warranty service centre with a slot to take the job. That could be sometime! Not worth sitting in a site for 3 weeks waiting for a slot.

kbhine · 05-05-2015, 12:39 PM

An update, Tiffin is sending a replacement step. If we can't do this ourselves, we will have to find a repair person to install them.

cc8375 · 05-06-2015, 07:45 PM

If your a little handy it is easy to replace the step. Mine is held in place with 4 bolts using a 9/16" socket. Lippert has man pdf on the Web for installation information. I have had the drive bolt break twice now.

jepeed · 05-06-2015, 08:38 PM

When I replaced the steps on our coach I used a small hydraulic floor jack which lowered the old steps and raised the new ones in place. I was able to do it without anyone helping and only took 2 hrs start to finish. I hope the new steps hold up better than the ones I replaced